'Should be a really good test': Avalanche face challenge against Canucks

The Colorado Avalanche have reset since their last-minute loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday but know Wednesday's game will be a difficult test. The Colorado Avalanche have let go of the last-minute loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/news/avalanche-break-down-in-last-minute-of-4-3-loss-to-predators] to gear up against a tough Vancouver Canucks team on Wednesday night. "It was nice having a day off yesterday. Just kind of forgetting about the last minute of our game in Nashville. Just kind of feeling refreshed and trying to get back to it tonight," Ryan Johansen said after morning skate. The team has noticeably been more energized the last few games and is looking to keep that up back at Ball Arena. "When you're playing with that passion and emotion in the games — it goes a long way. That's what's always nice about being home and using that home-ice advantage and using the crowd to energize us," Johansen said. Vancouver is five points ahead of Colorado in the Western Conference and the highest-scoring team in the league. Cale Makar, who sits three points behind league- leading Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, is prepared for the challenge his team faces against a formidable opponent. "They've been rolling this year. Obviously they play to a good identity, they play a hard game and it's going to be a good test for us," Makar said. "They got a lot of good players so everybody's just gonna have to stay aware defensively and then obviously we're gonna have to play on the offensive side of things as well. Should be a really good test." Hughes sits atop the points list with 30 while two of his teammates — J.T. Miller (29) and Elias Pettersson (28) — are tied for third and tied for fifth, respectively. Makar is tied for the No. 4 spot on that list with 27 but is evenly comparable to Hughes in ability. "Obviously elite skaters, both of them. Really able to challenge forecheckers, guys defending them one-on-one and create space and then it's the decision-making after — that's one of the big similarities," head coach Jared Bednar said about the two defensemen. "They both can shoot to score, they both can distribute the puck after they beat a guy one-on-one ... they're willing to challenge you and play you hard on the offensive side in different situations." The Canucks are third in the league for power-play points so the Avalanche have to be disciplined in their execution. That includes the Avs' defense, who is without Samuel Girard due to personal reasons [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche/featured/avalanche-defenseman-sam-girard-out-for-personal-reasons]. Bowen Byram has paired up with Josh Manson in Girard's absence. "Going back to the left side makes my life a little bit easier out there," Byram said. "He's (Girard) a big part of our team and we're going to miss him. All the guys back on the D-core really got to tighten things up to make up for him while he's gone." PROJECTED LINEUP Valeri Nichushkin — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen Jonathan Drouin — Ryan Johansen — Tomas Tatar Miles Wood — Ross Colton — Logan O’Connor Andrew Cogliano — Fredrik Olofsson — Joel Kiviranta Devon Toews — Cale Makar Bowen Byram — Josh Manson Caleb Jones — Jack Johnson Alexandar Georgiev Ivan Prosvetov The Avalanche won one and lost two against the Canucks last season with Mikko Rantanen tallying five points in that series. The puck drops at 8 p.m. MT at Ball Arena.